untold numbers of lives and help to win both wars. over the years, i have had the opportunity to visit with several of the code talkers and learn their personal stories. i always walk into those meetings inspired by the dedication to our nation. these men did not seek the limelight, and in fact, there is a tremendous impact to our military that was kept from the public for half of a century. there is no question their contributions were unparalleled, and have had a lasting impact on history. most of the native code talkers have passed away, but we will never forget their heroic actions and are forever grateful for their military service.

today, we celebrate the lives and contributions to our country, with their families and friends who are with us today. congratulations to all of you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, united states senator from the state of oklahoma, the honorable james inhofe. [applause] >> we heard first from congressman tom cole who is our native american art of congressional delegation. i recall hearing from him before he was in congress and at that time i was in the house, and

introduced us to this best-kept secret of world war ii and world war i, the code talkers. i look around and i see a lot of people who were very active other than those on the program today, but on the program today we have made mention of dan boren. he is here. i believe wes watkins is one of the initial individuals who reminded us of this best-kept secret. so, for decades after world war ii, people did not know anything about the contributions we started introducing resolutions and it was not until 2008 that we were successful. i want to mention that the speaker talked about edmund of the seminole nation, one of our fellow oklahomans. those of us have been fortunate, those in oklahoma, involved in

this meeting today, and one of the reasons is oklahoma has the largest population of native americans and second only to california, and they cheat because they have more people. nonetheless, it became evident to us as to the contributions made. in his opening prayer, the reverend talked about the lives that were saved. we cannot quantify that but we know they were out there. because of the secretive nature of the code talkers contribution, you cannot say how many, but we know many, many lives were saved by these american heroes. we pay tribute to today, we love you, it will always respect you and remember you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the united states army band and horus.

>> ♪

>> ♪ for the flag of the free may it wave as a standard forever remember the day proclaim as they march but by their march they wave forever

hooray for the flag of the free may it wave as a banner orever remember the day the claim as they march that by their march they live forever hey! ♪ [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the democratic leader of the united states house of representatives, he honorable nancy pelosi. [applause]

>> good morning. it is an honor to be here with our speaker, to be here with our native american brother, with ron kind, with the distinguished senator johnson, and senator inhofe, and we in california take great pride in having the largest number of native americans. in 1941, and of course, with the admiral that we will hear from later. in 1941, a young member of a commanche tribe, charles, joined the u.s. army, one of 17 members of his tribe, he was recruited to speak their language in service to our country in world war ii. even in a nation that has long denied him his basic rights that long refused his people

citizenship, that long neglected the challenges facing native americans, charles volunteered. like many of his generation, his fellow code talkers and service members, he signed up to protect and defend our communities and shared homeland. that is the oath of office that we all take to protect and defend, and the code talkers honored that pledge and helped us honor ours, all americans to do so. years later, we save lives using the native american language. as soldiers and marines with codes, no enemy could decipher -- the code talkers saved lives on the beaches of normandy and at iwo jima. they save lives on the invasion on d-day, the battles in the european theater, and fighting across the south pacific. they

kept their code secret and safe, as the speaker mentioned. they served with undaunted bravery, part of a band of rothers that defeated tyranny, set a continent free and estored the hope of democracy across the globe. the code talkers carried forward the hope of their people committed to the cause of freedom. their sense of duty was never shaken, nor was there a resolve. their patriotism never wavered, nor did their courage. the bonds of brotherhood were never broken, nor was there code. for their heroism and sacrifice, the contributions that went unrecognized for too long is a privilege for congress to bestow the native american code talkers the highest honor we can bestow, the congressional gold medal, and by your acceptance --

[applause] bring luster to this award. may these metals long and/or as a sign of respect, admiration and unending gratitude for our native american tribes and the sons they sent to battle. we all know that god truly blessed america with our code talkers. thank you and congratulations. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the republican leader of the united states senate, the honorable mitch mcconnell. [applause] >> it is an honor to join my colleagues today in recognizing the service of the native american code talkers. a little more than a decade ago,

congress and president bush honored the navajo code talkers for the tremendous contributions during world war ii. today, we honor the rest of the code talkers whose extraordinary kill and heroism will be remembered as long as the history of modern warfare is told. rarely has a group of men then so crucial to a nation's military success, yet so little known for so long as the native american code talkers. these heroes, some as young as 15, answered the call when the country needed them, and they perform their task with extraordinary courage and grace. often working behind enemy lines, these men sent messages that once took hours to transmit in a matter of minutes or even seconds, all in the code they

were not even allowed to put on paper for fear that it would be discovered by the enemy, and then when they came home, they could not even talk about their achievements. they had to keep them secret so that no one would know about this new weapon of war. so, we are deeply grateful for their service. hopefully, in the years to come, the deeds of these good men will be more widely known and all americans will know the inspiring story of these native americans who saved so many lives devising and deploying a code so effective that our enemies never broken. it is a privilege to honor these men today, and to thank you -- thank them for their courage and sacrifice. the honor is long past due, but no less heartfelt. gentlemen, america is grateful

for your service, and we are determined to honor the memory of your heroic deeds. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the majority leader of the united states senate, the honorable harry reid. [applause] >> according to firsthand accounts from the pilgrims when they arrived on this continent, native americans did not farm the land, so it was not truly their land. according to the pioneers who pushed past the mississippi, native americans were not civilized, so they did not truly own the land. according to prospectors who rushed for the hills of nevada, california, and even nevada,

-- alaska, native americans did not speak english, so they did not truly own the land. strangers had forced the native people from the land, slaughtered their game, stifled the religions, outlaw their ceremonies, and ravaged their communities. next, the newcomers even try to steal their languages. in the late 1800's, the united states government forced native american children to attend english-only boarding schools. native children were torn from their families, taken far from home in boxed cars and buggies, given english names, and forced to cut their hair short. teachers beat the children with leather straps when they spoke their native language. the government told them their language had no value, but the

children held onto their anguage, culture, and history, despite great personal risk, and in this nations hour of greatest need, the same native american proves to have great value indeed. in the early war -- days of world war ii, japanese code breakers cracked every american cipher, everyone of them and military members needed a code so obscure, so unknown, that even their own decoders could not break it. the perfect secret weapon would be languages all but forgot outside of a few isolated communities. the united states government ingeniously turned to people whose language they try to eradicate, but why would native americans who had been robbed of their land and their culture of greed to use their precious

language to protect a country that either neglected or abused them for centuries? here is why. one native american code talker, a young navajo man by the name of chester put it this way, "somebody has to defend this country. somebody has to defend reedom." no matter how many times the united states government had tried to convince them otherwise, the corporal new that the united states of america was his land. this young corporal was just a boy, a high school student, when he enlisted. native americans, like the corporal, were so eager to serve that many lied about their age to enlist. these brave soldiers, these code alkers had a special gift, their sacred languages, and they selflessly shared that gift with our country, their country.

their gifts saved countless lives and helped win the war, and their willingness to share t made them american heroes -- we honor our american heroes today. [applause] >> ladies and the speaker of the united states house of representatives, the honorable john boehner. [applause] >> thank you. i want to say thank you to my colleagues for their estimonials, and of course all of those who made today's ceremony possible. we are now going to present the medals -- made this ceremony possible. we are going to present the medals, and i am asking you to hold your applause until the end so that we can give all of our honorees their proper due.

>> ladies and gentlemen -- cherokee of alaska, choctaw tribe of chipowa, lake superior

opi trirkse kiowa tribe of , ahoma, laguna pueblo tribe creek tribe muscogee nation, oneida tribe of indians f wisconsin, osage nation, pawnee nation of oklahoma, tribe, ibe, rosebud apache ation, tonto

tribe, white mountain apache .ribe [applause]

>> if you could all remain standing, we will have the benediction. >> ladies and gentlemen and gentlemen, the vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. >> ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats, and if our wonderful native americans who have received their medals, would like to retire to their seats, i will not make you stand while i talk. i will say good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and while you might be taking your seats

gain, allow me to say -- [speaking native american language] i beg your forgiveness if i did properly greetings and i beg your indulgence that i cannot speak for all 33 of the wonderful groups we have here today. mr. speaker, leader harry reid, leader nancy pelosi, distinguished guests, honorees, guests and families, we are very proud of you, and i'm very proud to be included today. here during native american heritage month, i have the great privilege of representing the finest military in the world in recognizing the hundreds of native americans who have worn the cloth of our nation in the

distinctive way that we celebrate today, and in such a courageous way defending a country that did not always keep its word to their ancestors. [applause] the 33 tribes and 216 individuals we recognize today represent native warriors that leverage their native tongue to defend our nation through an unbreakable code, patriots that possessed a unique capability and willingness to give of their special talent and their lives. as richard west, founding director of the national museum f the american indian so eloquently captured it, language

is central to cultural identity. it is the code containing the subtleties and secrets of cultural life. as it turns out, the clever usage of our nations original, unique, and special languages -- these cultural codes was also an essential part of defending our great nation. we have all heard the story throughout history -- military leaders have sought the perfect code, signals the enemy cannot break, no matter how able the intelligence team, and it was our code talkers who created voice codes that defied the oding in an era of slow, by hand battlefield encryption, such an eloquent way to quickly divide communications. it was doubly clever in that not only the language was decipherable -- indecipherable, the special words used within the language were difficult as well, such as crazy white man for adolf hitler, or tortoise

for tank, or pregnant fish for bomber. the code talker's role in combat required intelligence, adaptability, grace under pressure, bravery, dignity, and, quite honestly, the qualities typefit my youthful stereo of the brave, american indian warrior. hese men endured some of our nation's most dangerous tackles and served -- battles and served proudly. the actions of those that we celebrate today were critical insignificant operations such as comanches on utah beach on d-day, hopis on the carolina islands, cherokees at the second battle, to name but a few. these men were integral members of their teams, the 36th infantry division, the fourth

signals company, the 81st infantry division, the 30th infantry division, and so many more, learning morse code and operating equipment to translate messages quickly and accurately. in the words of navy admiral aubrey fitch, employment of these men has resulted in accurate transmission of messages that previously required hours. from the start, the service endered by these men has received favorable comment. high praise him navy language. these men contribute it not only in battle, the fundamentally to military intelligence committees work in cryptology, and dollar the ur museum highlights code talkers as pioneers of their specialty. here, once again, we learned that one of the greatest strengths of our nation is diversity, and your u.s. military, in particular, has always found great strength in this diversity.

you may wonder why this is so. when the chips are down and the bullets are flying, and the only way out is to win, it does not take long to recognize on the one hand that one's heritage is not matter much anymore, and at the same time if you can bring something special to the fight through your own diversity, well, so much the better. our military has always lied -- led our way out of the cultural challenges that sometimes accompany diversity. we are happy to leverage unique skill sets regardless of individual differences, and through our code talkers, once again, diversity matched innovation with victory. the heroes sitting among us are a testament to this. 33 diverse cultures, 33 diverse

dialects, all fighting together for one nation. native americans have long sacrifice for our nation, well presented by 20th army, marine corps, and navy medal of honor recipients. the first american woman killed in operation iraqi freedom was a member of the hopi tribe, and many others have served nobly, proudly, and well in combat. while we have benefited as a nation from our native american warriors service and sacrifice, we can also learn from how they managed their journey from war o peace. thanks ro remarkable advantages in battlefield and post-battlefield -- remarkable advances in battlefield and post-battlefield medical care, we have many wounded warriors we will need to support for decades to come. the smithsonian makes it a point to note that native american cultures has special traditions to help warriors return home with injuries or member and veteran sacrifices forever.

after the two world wars, most native american code talkers returned to communities facing difficult economic times. jobs were scarce. >> some of the returning code talkers stayed in their communities doing whatever kind of work they could find. others moved to cities where jobs were more plentiful. they took advantage of the g.i. bill. the code talkers accomplished many things during their postwar lives. some became leaders in their communities and participated in tribal governments. others became educators, artists and professionals in a variety of fields. are and remain active in the cultural lives of their tribes and some worked to preserve their languages. all remained recognized heroes within their tribes. the lesson for us today?

these men and women who have served no about commitment and are ready to lead in communities across the nation. they are a national resource, a innovation, hard work and resilience. they deserve our best. as we gathered together in emancipation hall and a long and benevolent shadow of freedom, i'm reminded by the bronze statue of the chief to my right that warriors become great not because of their competence in battle but also because of their unity. for peace and we can best honor these great quarters among us not just with well deserved and long overdue ourgnition, but also within own efforts to continue to leverage our nation's diversity and to forever honor our veterans, including our native american veterans. for their narrative is an essential piece of our narrative

heard their journey as our journey. estimates traded by our code talkers, our nation's future is built on their contributions to our history. i started, atere least trying to speak if familiar language to our wonderful code talkers and their descendents. thank you. and may god continue to shower his blessings on our great nation. thank you. [applause] reverend hetrick conroy gives the benediction.

>> thank you, creator, the maker of ways, for giving us this beautiful day to celebrate life. may the hands and hearts of this nation be raised in prayer and praise for the heroic servicemen and women native to this memberst, who as proud of the united states military served our nation so valiantly in its numerous battles. though few in number and lacking any eco-desire to be named heroes for doing their duty, these code talkers from many nations are honored this date by a nation which rises to celebrate their important work in military intelligence. may the breath of god uphold their noble and heroic story. they have honorably carried on a great legacy of their ancestors

to understood a service one's people is the highest calling. may their great example of service communicate to all generations and to all nations a message to inspire citizens everywhere to serve their communities. less all women and men in military service no matter their racial, cultural or religious heritage and their families. america and grant us peace, both in the present and with you for ever and ever, amen. >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain at your seats for the departure of the official party.

[music plays] ♪

♪

>> you can watch this gold medal honoring native american code talkers from the first and second world wars tonight at 10:25 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> on the next "washington writer philipor klein will talk about the conservative agenda in 2014 and the midterm elections. ofn, the founder of voices poverty will discuss the historical roots and current makeup of poverty in america. he is the author of the american way of poverty, how the other half still lives.

"washington journal" live at 7 a.m. eastern here on c-span. american federation of teachers president randi weingarten is our guest this week on newsmakers. she talks about education issues, including common core standards, testing and where american students reich compared to other nations. watch newsmakers, sunday at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. eastern on c- span. today on c-span, aren't you and review series looks at the federal budget and government shutdown. later, a panel discussion on the role of religion in the white house. >> the beginning of october 2013 was a perfect storm of politics and policy with implementation of many elements of the health care law and the beginning of the new fiscal year.

there was a 16 day government shutdown as a result. over the next hour of c-span's year in review, we bring you some floor debates. we will show you senator ted cruz of texas and his filibuster in the u.s. senate. we will begin with a conversation with a woman who covers issues on political hill. -- on capitol hill, for the "chicagoes" and the tribune." how did the health-care lobby, >> this linchpin for -- at least on the house side -- for the shutdown in october? >> that was a big part of this year. republicans have tried multiple times to stop, delay, or defund president obama's health care law. the website was coming online in the health care exchange coming online. it was there last asked effort

their last best effort to try to prevent the affordable care act from coming to fruition. they stall the government spending bill as the best vehicle as her last best chance and theya stand. did. >> this is a continuing resolution to keep the government funded into the new fiscal year. >> exactly. there have been some of the disagreements over how to fund the government. this has been a long-running obviously, difference of opinion levels to fund the government at and how far to cut back in different programs. they're unable to resolve that. they decided to punt. this was a fairly routine bill, but again it was this great opportunity to make a political stand. >> and that political stand was to delay the implementation of

part of the health care law. now when october 1 came around, republicans kept trying different tactics to change the health care law. is that correct? any traction in the senate? any traction in the senate? did any of that have >> that is a good question. in the senate, it was interesting. we saw senator ted cruz from texas make a stand. he engaged in this long filibuster campaign to stop this law from coming into fruition. of course that strategy was , something that house republicans latched onto. speaker john boehner and others thought that it was not going to be a winning strategy. you have a divided government right now, even if it could pass out of the congress which seems unlikely, the law would be president obama would probably nevered or delayed,

signed that kind of a bill, write? it was a strategy without a complete and that would accomplish the goal. >> you mentioned house and couldn't agree on spending. the shutdown happens, they tried continuous ways to change the law through legislation. but republican leaders also start introducing many appropriations bills. funding veterans programs and the national parks. why did they try to go that route? correct as you can imagine, shutting down the federal government as much as people love or hate the government, , shutting down national parks and routine government services was not popular. workers are getting tension across the country. workers are getting furloughed. it is having an economic hit. people can't come to the national mall to see the museums or go to the national parks or have family vacations. what the house decided to start

doing was passed these many appropriations bills. let's fund the part of the crowdpleasers. government that provides money for veterans national park service. all these smaller, individual bills that would be very difficult for democrats to vote against. it was difficult for them to vote against it. democrats voted for them. you saw these big bipartisan votes coming over from the house as a would pass these bills one after the other, every other day during the shutdown. over in the senate, the senate democratic majority leader harry reid let them sit because democrats were not willing to play that sort of strategy. they thought it would be better to let the shutdown work its course -- they thought he would they thought it would be better to let the chips fall. >> some of the house floor debate and comments from the shutdown.ahead of the this is late in september.

>> millions of americans across this country are struggling to find good paying jobs and their -- and their frustration with they are struggling to pay their bills. government continues to grow. these hard-working middle-class americans are counting on their elected representatives to show leadership during these hard times. this continuing resolution will keep the government funded at it s current level without increasing spending will -- while congress finishes working on a real budget. americans are tired of seeing the government continue to spend more and more of the hard-earned tax dollars. for the first time since the korean war, it will be possible to have two consecutive years of discretionary spending cuts.

this resolution will also protect the working middle class from the devastating effects of obamacare. each week, we hear stories of how both major employers in small businesses are cutting back benefits and hours. the presidents health care law is turning our economy to a part-time economy. even the heads of major unions that were once so supportive of obamacare want to see this law drastically changed to avoid damage. let's protect the american people from the economic calamity that we know obamacare will create. americans are fighting for their families. we in congress were sent to

washington by our constituents to fight for them. they have put faith in their leaders to do what is right. for this entire congress, the house has led on restoring faith in our economy and trust in our government. we should pass this continuing resolution so the senate and -- so the senate can finally begin to do the same. thank you to the gentleman from kentucky for his work on this measure, along with the help of the gentleman from louisiana, for their hard work on the issue. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution. >> the gentleman from new york is recognized. >> i'm pleased to yield to mr. steny hoyer.

>> the gentleman from maryland is recognized for three minutes. >> thank you for yielding. madam speaker, today we are considering a measure to fund government only -- madame speaker, today we are considering measure to find government only that will help millions of americans access affordable care. is a blatant act of hostagetaking. the republican cr lays the groundwork for a default on our that. -- on our debt. an unthinkable act by instituting a pay china first provision. fully embraces the dangerous and itfully embraces the dangerous and the rational policy of sequester. this bill and shines economy and confirms the dissent into and economy destroying, national security undermining, and ineffective rendering of our country and our people needs.

the majority party with its destructive obsession with the repeal of the affordable care act in its unrestrained hostility toward government has offered this will, notwithstanding, republicans hollow claims of irrationality of the sequester policy their party adopts. the majority does so notwithstanding their chairman's accurate description of their policy of sequester, and i quote their chairman mr. rogers as "unrealistic and ill-conceived." his words, not mine. a policy that chairman rogers said, "must be brought to an end." his words, not mine. chairman rogers wrote today and the vote of his colleagues i expect to do just the opposite. they will vote to continue a

policy that will lead to american decline in retreat. i will not be party to that his -- to today's bill undermines the disinvestment in america's greatness. the education of our children, the security of seniors, and the present and future health of our people and the strength and readiness of our forces and the growth of our economy and the creation of jobs. the quality and volatility -- the quality and health of our environment and respect for those who labor in the public sector and most certainly the honoring of america's debt and obligations. today's bill undermines all of those priorities and more. i will not support it. i urge my colleagues to oppose it. it continues us on the path so aptly described again as chairman rogers as "this lurching path from fiscal racist

-- fiscal crisis to fiscal crisis." i urge my colleagues with wisdom and courage on your side of the aisle to oppose this bill. >> madam speaker, the american people are accounting on us to -- are counting on us to do our jobs, to work together, to create jobs, to keep the government open and to keep the economy running. this is not the time or the bill for relitigating health reform or for holding up the administration's ability to protect the full faith and credit of the united states of america. with the great suffering in the wake of a natural disaster in colorado -- my heart goes out to all of those families who lost lives and loved ones and

property -- this is not the time to limit the ability of the united states of america to give relief to those losing loved ones, homes, and livelihoods. republicans refuse to work together with the senate and the white house to bring a construct piece of legislation to this floor today. instead we consider a bill that we know is destined for failure in the senate and would be vetoed by the white house. for months, the majority has a failed to lead. they refuse to appoint members to work with the senate on a top line spending number. they cannot even pass their own spending bills in this chamber. we remember how the important transportation bill had to be pulled off of the floor because

they could not find the vote. today they risk halting government services and functions vital to the american people and our economy. chairman, mr. rogers said that chairman, mr. rogers said that even when their own appropriations we should end the sequester and find a balanced plan forward. just days before the end of the fiscal year, they are still playing political games. i urge my colleagues to oppose this bill and support the responsible replacement of the sequester with a balanced plan to create jobs and keep our economy moving. i know we can do it. i would be pleased to to be part of that partnership with the chair, mr. rogers. >> the gentleman from kentucky is recognized for two remaining

minutes. >> thank you. madam speaker, we are doing a cr even though the appropriations committee on the house side past sed 11 of the 12 bills through the committee. four of them across the floor in the house. the remaining ones for aforetime as we run out of time. consequently, this continuing resolution will continue the government past the september 30 and of the fiscal year. we were unable to pass the appropriations bills singly on the floor because of a lack of floor time, but also because the house and senate never agreed to an overall number of which we

could mark. consequently, we were not able to bring those bills out because of that limitation. with this cr until december 15, if we were given a number with the senate in which we need to mark the individual 12 bills. we will do so. this is a hard-working committee. we are pragmatists. we know that we have to pass the bills to fund the government. the us this bill. closewere intending to down the government and shut it down, we wouldn't be here with this bill. we would just sit there. this is an effort by the but majority party in the house to continue the government and avoid a shutdown what we work

-- while we work out the differences on these funding bills for fiscal 2014. madam speaker, this resolution is straightforward, clean, short term, continues reduction and federal discretionary spending. i would point out we have actually cut discretionary spending in the last two years by $120 billion, the first time that has occurred since world war ii. we are trying to be responsible. this bill is responsible and i urge a yes vote. >> unfortunately there is a faction on the far right of the republican party right now. it is not everyone but it is a pretty big faction, who convinced their leadership to threaten a government shutdown and potentially threaten not raise the debt ceiling if they

can't shut off the affordable care act also known as obamacare. think about this. they're not talking about spending cuts. they're not talking about entitlement reform. they are not talking about that. now they're talking about something that has nothing to do with the budget. right? they are actually willing to plunge america into default if we cannot defund the affordable care act. let's put this into perspective. the affordable care act passed both houses of congress and was an issue in last years election. the guy who is running against me said he was going to repeal it. we want. [applause]

the voters were pretty clear on it. republicans and congress try to repeal or sabotage this more than 40 times. every time they failed. this law that is in place is providing people benefits. it is helping millions of americans, including some of you or your family members that you may not be aware of. just do your job. don't be the other guy. be the guy who is doing your job. no obstruction, no games, no holding the egg to nominate -- -- no holding the economy hostage if you do not get 100% of what you want. i do not know how may people are married, but you know not to expect when hundred percent of what you want. otherwise you will be divorced really quick.

especially you man, i'm telling you. [laughter] -- you men, i'm telling you. [laughter] you should expect some compassion and compromise. you should expect the condition leaders toiction of wake up and go to work everyday and not to tear something down, but to build something better. that is my conviction and my commitment to you. youe start thinking about instead of politics and how you can get your base stirred up, then we will be able to get back to the point where this country is where we want it to be. >> at this point we have seen small businesses all around this country who are losing their ability to compete, who are not expanding and staying under 50 employees, who are not hiring or

who are forcing employees to move to part-time work. in a survey of small businesses, half of small businesses eligible for the employee mandate are either moving to part-time workers are forcing -- or forcing full-time workers to go part time. this is not a small problem. it is not a marginal problem. it is a problem all over the country. we are talking millions of small businesses. they are not growing. this means they are not hiring people. everywhere in america where they are struggling to find a job, small businesses are trying out -- are crying out that obamacare is killing them. unfortunately, the u.s. senate is not hearing their cries. for the millions of americans being forced into part-time work.

unfortunately the u.s. senate is , not hearing their cries. millions of americans facing skyrocketing health care premiums and facing the reality and risk of losing their health insurance. the u.s. senate is not hearing their cry. and the people who are facing or thee not the wealthy powerful or the millionaires and billionaires. there are young people who are being absolutely decimated by obamacare. they are single moms working in diners and finding their work hours being reduced to 29 hours a week. single moms are crying out to the senate to fix this trainer. -- fix this train wreck, fix

this disaster. unfortunately the u.s. senate is , closed for business. >> the shutdown is about rolling back our efforts to provide health insurance to folks who don't have it. it is all about rolling back the affordable care act. this, more than anything else, seems to be what the republican party stands for these days. it is strange that one party i knowit is strange that one party would make keeping people uninsured the centerpiece of their agenda. that is apparently what it is. what is stranger still is that shutting down our government does not accomplish their stated goal. the affordable care act passed. the supreme court ruled it constitutional. a central issue in last

year's election. it is settled and here to stay. because of its funding sources it is not impacted by government , shutdown. the is americans are with me today because of the credit affordable care act is now open for business. -- a big part of the affordable care act is now open for business. it has been a long time coming. today americans who have been , forced to go without insurance can now visit healthcare.gov and plans that can offer them affordable coverage. people have six months to sign up. people have six months to sign up. they can get coverage they desperately need. >> as reckless as a government shutdown is, and economic

shutdown that results from default would be dramatically worse. social security checks still go out on time, in an economic shutdown, if we don't raise the debt ceiling, they don't go out on time. a government shutdown, millions of americans -- everyone faces real, economic hardship. in economic shutdown, pensions and home values and rising interest rates on student loans, all of those things could send us into a bad recession.

it would affect all of you. that is not my analysis. it is every economist out there saying that. we have never done it before. the u.s. is the center of the world economy. if we screw up, everyone gets screwed up. the whole world will have problems. it would be the height of irresponsibility. that is why i have said this before. i will repeat it. there will be no negotiations over this. >> i did not come here to shut down the government or to fall -- or to default on our debt. when it comes to the debt limit,

27 times the debt limit has been used to carry significant policy changes that would reduce spending and put us on a saner fiscal path. president reagan sat down with tip o'neill in the 1980s. clinton went through the three times in the 1990s. obama and i sat down in 2011 and had a serious negotiation. while he suggested i walked away -- suggested that i walked away from the deal, i have to remind him that i was in the oval office along with the majority leader eric cantor when we had an agreement in two days later the president walked away from . it was another negotiation that resulted in the largest deficit

reduction bill we have seen in the last 30 years. in 2010, what happened was a group of moderate democrats would not agree to raise the debt limit without a negotiation. there was a negotiation amongst democrats. the long and short of it is, there is going to be a negotiation here. we need to do something about what is driving us to our own -- driving us to borrow more money and live beyond our means. >> i would rather be 4000 miles away from here. this is the first time in 28 years i have not been in the bering sea in the month of

october. i'm here on behalf of fishermen. i want to talk specifically about the impacts of my fisheries. -- i am here to talk specifically about the impacts on my fisheries. there's a lack of personal to perform routine, administrative functions. it will result in millions of lost revenue. the federal reserve program will be impacted the longer the shutdown continues. many fishermen coastal communities are facing tough times. this unnecessary shutdown may be the tipping point if the situation is not resolved soon. king crab stock is healthy. fisher results in hundreds of millions economic timothy that

-- of economic activity that provides thousands of jobs for fishermen, processors, and support businesses such as welders, shippers, distributors, retailers. i want to be clear -- they fund the management cost of the crab fishery through government programs. we are taxed to cover management costs. no one has left over money that could be used to pay for the personnel we need to issue permits. despite this fact, -- we asked the secretary of commerce to find the authority and direct employees to do the task we have paid for.

a delay in the opening of the fishery would have significant impacts on alaskan coastal each day tied to the docks will cost them thousands more. the short-term impacts are relatively easy to measure. the longer-term impact of the scary part. the majority of our craft, we rely in the holiday market, both in the u.s. and japan. if the crab is not caught and processed and shipped out by the second week of november, we stand to lose access to that market. we cannot afford to lose anymore days to meet that deadline. to the government shutdown if we want in the case of the japanese markets, we stand to lose market share. if the japanese buyers do not have a lasting product on hand for the new year holiday, they will get their crops from -- they will source their crabs

from russia. market watchers are noticing uncertainty in the japanese. it is unsustainable -- unsustainably managed and subject to pirate fishing. pirate fishing is causing us an estimated 500 million. if the shutdown continues, that amount will only increase. time is critical. there are many small family run businesses that make up the alaskan crab fleet. my wife manages the short side of businesses. my brother is on the boat with me. i could depend on me to be their -- to feed our families. tohave been racking up bills ready to go fishing. get if we are tied to the docs and waiting for the government, we cannot pay those bills. on behalf of all fishermen, i'm asking congress to shut the -- end the shutdown now.

i need to go fishing. >> the shutdown of the government for the last 16 days or so, a deal has evolved. what are some key details of the deal? >> congress did what they often do when they can agree. -- when they can't agree. they sort of punted. because there were such a difference between the spending level that republicans wanted, they agreed to temporarily fund the government for another short while until january 15 at current operating levels. it was not as high as democrats sought and not as low as republicans sought. in the interim, have the house budget committee and the senate --get committee put there to

puttheir two budget plans together in a conference committee and try to negotiate an agreement. that group headed by republican paul ryan and you be vice president joel convery -- vice presidential candidate -- they had six weeks until today. december 13 was there deadline come up with a deal. as you can imagine, expert expert -- expectations were low that they could come up with something. >> they a deal a couple of days ago. that has since passed the u.s. house. in the senate, it is to be determined if it gets past. >> absolutely. it looks like it will probably pass the senate in the coming days.

some have called them very modest deals. very different from the big bargains that president obama and other people had tried to negotiate over the years. bring the nation's fiscal picture in a better place. they came up with a plan. it passed the house. there's a strong, robust majority. it is heading to the senate. conservative republicans are not on board with this. the most conservative, hardliners are not on board. there are some who gave their votes for this. the very liberal wing of the democratic party is not on board

with this. get a number of democrats gave their vote. in the senate, democrats will still need republican support to get to that 60 votes threshold to overcome a possible filibuster. >> that is one third. ony met the deadline vote the conference report. january 15 is the date by which the current temporary spending ends. then in early february, the debt ceiling. what do they have to get done by ? >> right.h they got the package through the senate. cap to pass this one more time in january when congress on -- they have to pass this one more time in january when congress comes back. they need to keep funding for

the government or it would shut down again. they have got to take this agreement and put it into the spending bills. looking ahead, is this a new era in congress? has a cycle of lurching from crisis to crisis come to a close? i think the jury is still out on that. they have this debt ceiling deadline. the majority is still out on that. raising that nation possible limit has been a difficult issue. it is uncertain if that will happen again. technically, they have until february 7 to raise the debt limit. more than $17 trillion in debt right now. that is something not a lot of people want to do. they also don't want to default on accrued bills that the nation needs to pay. the treasury department could probably keep paying the bills

and stretch that out a bit i , maybe even until summer. think that will be the next hurdle and when that arrives -- we will see how they handle that. >> we are bound to see a similar debate we saw from harry lead in -- from leader harry reid in the senate and mitch mcconnell from earlier this fall. >> the eyes of the world has been on washington. that is a gross understatement. they witness great discord. today they will also seek congress reach an historic bipartisan agreement to avert a default on the nation's bills. willompromise we reached provide us with the stability our economy desperately needs. it is never easy for two sides to reach consensus. it is really hard. this time it is really hard. after weeks spent facing off a

partisan divide that sometimes seems too wide to cross, our country came to the brink of disaster. in the end, we prevented that disaster. i thank the republican leader for his effort to reach this important agreement. the cooperation was essential to pass both chambers of congress to reach an accord that could pass both chambers of congress and also be signed by president obama. as part of our agreement, in order to ensure that climate additional progress this legislation says there'll , be a conference committee that will set our country on a long- term, fiscal sustainability. some say that will be hard. what we do is hard, but we can get it done. the committee members selected

will serve no matter how painful. this conference committee led by chairman murray and chairman ryan for me in december as an appropriate place to chart a course for economic growth. it averts default if every -- averts default through february 7. congress can work toward a long- term agreement to fix this crisis and perhaps most importantly, this legislation ends a standoff. is not asident, this time for pointing fingers of blame, this is a time of reconciliation. i look forward to working with my colleagues of both parties of this great capital and -- avert

a default on our nation's debt. what we have done is send a message to americans from every one of our 50 states that the u.s. lives up to its obligations. now we must return to the most important job -- fostering economic growth and protecting middle-class families. i'm optimistic that the spirit of compromise has taken root in the senate over the last two days. i do know this -- senator mcconnell and i have sat in serious discussions the last few days. we will do everything we can to

change the atmosphere in the senate and accomplish things that need to be done for our country. >> madam president. >> republican leader. >> this has been a long challenging week. it is my hope we can put some of those issues behind us. after yesterdays events, the majority leader and i began a series of conversations about the way to get the government reopened and to prevent default. i'm confident we will be able to do both of those things later today. crucially, i'm confident we will be able to announce we are protecting the government spending reductions that both parties agreed to. under the budget control act. and that the president signed into law. it has been a top priority for me and for my colleagues on the republican side of the

aisle throughout this debate. it has been worth the effort. some have suggested that we break that promise as part of this agreement. some have said washington needs to spend more and that we need to raise taxes and tax our way to prosperity. what the bc a showed is that washington can cut spending. that is just what we have done. for the first time since the korean war, the first time since the korean war, government spending has declined for two years in a row. the first time in 50 years. we are not going back on this agreement. there is a lot more we need to do to get our fiscal house in order. once we have gotten over the trauma of the moment, we can get to work on it. let's understatement importance

-- let's not understate the importance of the budget control or the importance of the fight. this is the largest spending bill of the last quarter- century. preserving this law is critically important to the future of our country. throughout this debate, republicans focused on obamacare for good reason. this law is ravaging our economy and killing jobs and driving up premiums and driving people off the health care plans they had and like in droves. it is a disastrous rollout any -- as a sign even worse things to come. their refusal to -- it will do untold damage to our country. republicans remain determined to repeal this terrible law.

for today, the relief we hope butfor today, the relief we hope for is to reopen government, avoid default, and protect the historic cuts we have achieved under the budget control act. this is far less than many of us have hoped for, frankly. it is far better than what some had sought. it is time for republicans now to unite behind other crucial goals. i yield the floor. >> i riseident, tonight in support of the senate compromise legislation being considered to end this unnecessary government shut down. this legislation reopens the government and prevent a catastrophic default and credit downgrade that would spur another recession. i'm pleased that cooler heads have finally prevailed.

however it is disappointing we are in the situation. after more than two weeks as the government shutdown and on the eve of default, we have reached an agreement. this legislation must be supported. it should not be celebrated. or spiking of the football. it is a temporary bill. it is not a win for anyone. particularly the institution of congress or the presidency for that matter. the bill represents the conclusion of a difficult period from which i hope many can draw important lessons. episodehat this sad congress to make difficult decisions. we must keep the government functioning and address the out- of-control debt and the many challenges resented by the

-- presented by the health care law, obamacare. worked tirelessly with colleagues to find an agreement. thank you two senators -- to the senators and many others in his conversation. i hope this lays down a foundation to reach an agreement on issues that need to be addressed. i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation and to join with those of us who share an obligation to govern and seek bipartisan solutions. >> the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. >> i'm very pleased to yield one minute to the gentleman from pennsylvania a member of the appropriations committee. >> the gentleman is recognized

for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker. i rise to urge an expedited path. i join with the chairman and the ranking member of my committee and i agree with every word that has been stated by the majority chairman and the ranking member. this is critically important. in a foreign was country, i was in the state of israel and met with the president and with a whole group of brain researchers from around the world. they had difficulty understanding, given our nation's leadership, why several critical issues we could be in a paralyzed situation. i am happy that the sun is active in such an overwhelming -- that the senate is active in such an overwhelming way. 81 bipartisan votes. act as urge the house to

i know we will. i urge the house to restore our government to pay our bills and to get on with our responsibilities as the most powerful nation in the world and the wealthiest country in the world. we can pay our bills and we can conduct the affairs of government in a way that danes -- that gains us respect around the world rather than befuddlement. thank you very much. >> there has been a lot of discussion lately of the politics of the shutdown. let's be clear -- there are no winners here. these last few weeks have inflicted completely unnecessary damage on our economy. we do not know yet the full scope of the damage, but every analyst out there believes that families have gone without paychecks or services they depend upon. we know the potential home buyers about fewer mortgages and business loans have been put on small hold. we know that consumers have cut

back on spending and that half of all ceos say that the shutdown and the threat of shutdown has set back their plans to hire over the next few months. we know that the threat of default of americans not paying all other bills that we owe on time increases borrowing costs which adds to our deficit. we know that the american of course people's frustration with what goes on in this town has never been higher. that is not a surprise. american people are completely that the fed up with washington. a moment when our economic recovery demands more jobs, more momentum, we have got yet another self-inflicted crisis to set our economy back. for what?

there was no economic rationale for all of this. >> as we wrap up our year in review series, a reminder that all of the programs we showed you in all of the video is available on our website at c- span.org. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> today on c-span, "washington journal" live for your calls. followed by a look at the role of faith and the white house. later, another look at our year in review series on the federal budget and government shutdown. a moment, your calls, live on washington journal. followed by a discussion of the 2014 discussion of the agenda examinerashington

journalist philip klein. "washington journal" is next. ♪ unemploymentgency insurance, immediately cutting off jobless benefits for 1.3 million workers that have been unemployed for longer than 26 weeks. if the sudden change starts an intense battle when lawmakers return to washington in january. resident obama has called on congress to act swiftly on the temporary extension of etiquette -- of benefits. isrop in unemployment rate -- also making news this